"Letters from Nuremberg"- by Sen. Chris Dodd

This Christmas season, I did something I almost never do. While picking up a Christmas present for myself in a local book shop, I chose "Letters from Nuremberg" by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT). Normally, I never buy books by political figures. They always seem to correspond with the writer's run for the presidency, and they tend to be self-serving. I made an exception here because I am fascinated by anything having to do with the city of Nuremberg-especially, the Nazi era. (I was stationed just outside Nuremberg from 1966-1968) during my Army service, and I know the city intimately. The book is a compilation of letters written by Dodd's father, Thomas Dodd, a prosecutor during the War Crimes Trials, to his wife back home in Connecticut when Chris was a small child.

The book is a result of the recent discovery of the elder Dodd's letters, which had been stored away, by one of his children. As historical documents, they are interesting and useful. They are usually one page in length and combine Dodd's expressions of love for his wife, from whom he was separated for about a year, with descriptions of the trial's daily events. They also provide an insight into Dodd's relations with his prosecutorial colleagues and others involved with the trials of the major Nazi figures.

Dodd, who was one of several staff members of the American contingent, became the chief assistent to Chief American Prosecutor, Robert Jackson, who was at the time also a member of the US Supreme Court. After the conclusion of the trial, Dodd returned home to Connecticut and entered politics. Rising to the position of US Senator for Connecticut, his career ended in the 1960s with his censure in the Senate for converting campaign funds to his personal use. Broken, he died a few years later. Chris Dodd's book has been viewed by many as an attempt to vindicate the memory of his father. (Thomas Dodd's legacy was brought up in a recent Democratic debate in Iowa when moderator Carolyn Washburn threw it out in a question to Chris, a question many viewed as a cheap shot.)

As stated, Dodd's letters describe his day to day life in Nuremberg during the trial as well as his longing to be reunited with his wife, Grace, to whom he was clearly devoted. They also include a brief description of the day's court events, testimonies, his interviews with the defendants and his relationships with others in Nuremberg. Also included are speculations as to his future career when he returns to the States-either to practice law or enter politics. (Dodd had hereto been an investigator and prosecutor with the FBI before accepting the assignment in Nuremberg.)

There are also some recurring themes in the course of the book that leave an impression upon the reader. For one, Dodd, while speaking kindly about several colleagues, most notably Justice Jackson, had harsh words for so many others. He had a very negative impression of the Russians, the Chief American Judge, Francis Biddle, and numerous others whom he dismissed as incompetent. In particular, he blasted many of the American military officers who were involved in the trial. Dodd, in fact, seemed to have a generally negative opinion of the American military itself, though praising certain individuals. He mentioned the devastation of the German cities-and wondered if the Germans would ever forgive us for bombing them.

In addition, Dodd continually expressed negative thoughts about various individuals back home in the States, whom he viewed as enemies. Indeed, he gives the impression of a man who had a lot of enemies.

But, for me, the most disturbing part of Chris Dodd's book is his comparison of the crimes of the Nazis with the post-911 actions of the Bush Administration. Dodd himself, had very little, if anything to write. Aside from his father's letters, there is only the prologue (1st three chapters, which I assume were written by Dodd's "ghost writer", Lary Bloom.)which was left to be added to the book. In the introduction, Dodd (or Bloom) refers to Bush's establishment of Guantanemo Bay, denial of Geneva Convention rights, Abu Ghraib, NSA intercepts etc, as a denial of the principles established at Nuremberg. In my view, Dodd thus trivializes the crimes of the Nazis. Whatever one thinks of Bush's actions, they have been done to protect American lives against Islamic terrorism-hardly comparable to the acts and motives of Hitler and the Nazi regime.

If one is interested in the Third Reich and Nuremberg trials, then this book is a recommended read. It is unfortunate that Sen. Dodd had to intersperse his irrelevant condemnation of President Bush into the book.